The I-League was suspended for six weeks on January 3, 2022, after COVID-19 hit the participating teams badly. The format of the tournament remains the same. The League resumes on March 3.
The I-League 2021-22 will resume after two months on March 3 with Sreenidi Deccan FC taking on TRAU FC at the Mohun Bagan Ground in a revised fixture. The prestigious tournament was suspended on January 3 for six weeks after several footballers inside the bio-bubble tested positive for COVID-19 in Kolkata. (More Football News)
The I-League 2021-22 will be played across three venues in West Bengal – Mohun Bagan Ground in Kolkata, the Naihati Stadium in Naihati, and the Kalyani Municipal Stadium in Kalyani. The tournament was suspended for a week after COVID-19 hit the participating teams on December 26.
The teams will play each other once in a round-robin format, in Phase 1 of the I-League, after which the league will be broken into two groups with Group A consisting of the top seven, while the bottom six will make up Group B.
In Phase 2 of the league, the teams in Group A will play once against each other in a round-robin format to determine the I-League 2021-22 champion, while those in Group B will also play each other in a similar format to fight for relegation.
The players and officials have to travel with three negative RT-PCR tests before joining the bio-bubble. Roundglass Punjab FC, who are at the top of the table will face Churchill Brothers on March 4 while Mohammedan Sporting take on Aizawl FC a day before.
The bio-bubble for the resumption of the I-League will begin on February 20, with the players and officials needing to travel with three negative RT-PCR tests before joining the bubble. Additionally, on the advice of Dr. Harsh Mahajan, Member of AIFF’s Sports Medical Committee, every player is also required to do a 12 lead ECG before arrival.
Once inside the bio-bubble, each individual needs to serve seven days in quarantine, with three more tests being done. On receiving three negative RT-PCR tests in quarantine, the players and officials will be free to operate from within the bubble and attend training sessions, meals, team meetings, and matches.